bmwpowere36m3

@127876766: That's correct, in the US the regulations don't explicitly call out continuous/nominal/peak when limiting power to 750W. In the EU, the regulation is 250W nominal or continuous based on a test protocol for electric motors. That same test protocol doesn't limit peak power explicitly, other than a motor cannot increase in temperature when ran continuously over a threshold. So really, technology limits peak power as motors have gotten more efficient and cooler running (brushed vs. brushless and analog vs. digital controls). So today's motors can have very high peak power levels, while still meeting the EU 250W regulation. Electric motors are also typically spec'd at nominal ratings. Thus the take liberties with the lack of specificity of the US regulation... is nominal or peak, doesn't say. Sure, they could self-regulate or take the more conservative approach. They aren't and thus we are here today.

@ownyourtime: you should read up on testing electric motors... its not as simple watts/hp as internal combustion engines. Also industry typically specs electric motors at their nominal rating. Whereas automotive/motosports typically market peak power levels of internal combustion engines. Not to mention the ratings of the motor controller and battery also play a factor in what the motor can deliver. Unfortunately the ebike/drive system manufactures have been playing both sides... on the one hand claiming they meet EU 250W nominal rating and OTOH claiming peak values. Which until recently were at or below "values" (750W) used in other countries such as the US.

the 250W rating is based on specific testing... "continuous" per the test is when the motor's temp doesn't increase more than a certain rate (K/hr). The test or rating has nothing to do with how long a motor can run on battery. The test can apply to any electric, including those not limited by battery capacity (wall power).

"250W rated" is standard in the EU for class I EPAC and 25 kph assistance cutoff... there's no universal limit on maximum power though.

Not giving them a pass... but look at the current MTB market. eMTBs are dominating sales from what I see. Unfortunately brands not spec'ing Avinox are going to loose out on sales of bikes in the full power category. Even Pivot when they announced the launch of the new Shuttle LT with Bosch CX said they did it for reasons including: UCI compliance, removable battery, larger service network and more "reliable" brand... it wasn't a short time later they released a Shuttle with the Avinox system too. Avinox equipped bikes are selling like hot cakes right now as the hype is in full force. Consumers are not going to self-regulate nor are manufacturers feeding the "addicts"... its going to take regulation or political pressure.

@samchuk: but riders can only buy what's available. So if the current choice is between equally serviceable, reliable, non-standard, and current weight motors... power is really the main differentiator and wow factor. Epscially in the full power segment, when a lot of folks simply want to blast uphill as quickly as possible for the DH. Obviously you can also tune down the extra power when navigating techy climbs or simply personal preference, so no reason not to go for it. There's no doubt a market for more powerful motors and honestly I think that's just the easy way to differentiate and sell. Making them more reliable and lightweight isn't as sexy and likely way more costly. My beef, isn't so much the power levels, its the high assist ratios that deliver a throttle experience at the pedals vs. really having to put in the work to unlock the peak power.

My interpretation is this firmware isn't a simple "software" update like we've had access to. The inverse is true as well, what's stopping Bosch from secretly increasing the wattage of their motor? Don't believe for a second, Bosch is incapable of delivering more power as they been upping the torque three times and power twice since launch of the gen 5 CX. I would imagine competitors would petition if they believed there was an unfair advantage.

Boost Extend is motor over-run, which wasn't configurable prior. Higher power modes, just got more over-run.

@ridebikesfaster: there's no federal limit in US though... each state (50 of them) has their own regulations on ebikes. Most follow the three class system (I, II, III) and class I is 750W peak/max and 20 mph assistance cutoff. However a few states allow 1000W and there's a few that aren't clear and/or allow much higher levels (nearer to a motorized bicycle/moped). I agree, DJI is putting the onus on the consumer/user to be compliant and as we know, many just want to the most power and can/will use VPN to trick location for favorable settings.

@enki: 250W rating is thermal and not mechanical output... so current brushless tech and digital control allow for 750 or 1000W motors with derating, while still be legal. Only in places where max power is defined would certain motors be non-complaint. Even in the US, the 750W peak/max power isn't consistent across every state and some allow 1000W and a very few even even higher or regulation isn't very clear.